Ring spinning and twisting machine and process



A ril 16, 1968 H. WHITTAKER 3, 7, 3.

RING SPINNING AND TWISTING MACHINE AND PROCESS Filed Jan. 4, 1965///:ll7j\ K 5) 1.9 J6 J7 x 18 m 1 7 %J% rM United States Patent3,377,793 RING SPINNING AND TWISTING MACHINE AND PROCESS HaroldWhittaker, Middleton, England, assignor to T. M. M. (Research) Limited,Oldham, Lancashire,

England, a British company Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 422,939 5Claims. (Cl. 57-93) This invention relates to an improved method ofwinding yarns or filaments on to a package by means of a ring andtraveller.

In conventional spinning or twisting machines of the ring and travellertype, the yarns are wound on to a package on a spindle which is rotatedat a speed which is so related to the speed at which yarn is forwardedto the package that a predetermined number of twists per inch areinserted in the yarn as it is being wound onto the package. In machinessuch as drawtwisters, the amount of twist inserted into the filaments isusualy very low because of the high speed at which the filaments'are'for warded to the package and the comparatively low speed of thespindle carrying the package. In conventional drawtwisters the spindlesrun at a constant speed throughout the formation of the package but thetraveller speed varies considerably according to the diameter at whichyarn is being wound on to the package.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved method ofoperating spinning and twisting machines of the aforesaid type wherebyproduction may be increased and traveller wear will remain withinacceptable limits.

According to the invention we provide a method of winding textile yarnsor filaments at a constant rate on to a rotary package carried by adriven spindle by means of a ring and traveller, in which the spindlespeed is decreased as the winding-on diameter increases. The 'spin dlespeed may be varied inversely as the winding-on diameter to maintain thetraveller speed substantially constant.

In the application of the invention to a drawtwister for processingsynthetic filaments, the filaments may be drawn and passed at highspeeds in excess of 3,000 ft. per minute to a package on ring andtraveller spindles. The spindles are driven through a variable speeddevice which can be controlled so that the spindle speed when winding ona certain diameter ensures that the traveller will lag behind thespindle to wind all the delivered yarn on to the package but will notexceed the maximum allowable speed as hereinafter defined.

If L equals the yarn delivery rate in feet per minute and dl equals theinitial winding-on diameter in inches the spindle will be required tomake LX12/1r dl rpm. to wind yarn on the initial diameter a'l.

With the spindle rotating at this speed for the initial winding-ondiameter, the traveller would remain stationary and winding-on wouldtake place without any twisting. If the spindle speed were increased,say by 1,000 rpm, yarn would be wound on the package and the travellerwould move on the ring at a speed of 1,000 r.p.m. in the same directionas the spindle and twist would be inserted.

The spindle speed, to effect winding-on at different diameters, can becalculated from the formula given above, and the traveller speed can beheld substantially constant at a desired speed by adding that speed tothe calculated spindle r.p.m. required for winding-on.

The traveller speed may be chosen so that it is just sufficient toinduce a controlling tension in the yarn, but on the other hand when thedrawtwister is not running to give the maximum yarn speed, as determinedby the drawing and heating conditions, it may be possible for theconstant traveller speed to be the maximum permissible 3,377,793Patented Apr. 16, 1968 traveller speed that can be achieved withoutburning or excessive wear on the travellers.

When using constant spindle speeds, in accordance with prior practice,the traveller speed increases with bobbin diameter and in many cases ithas been impossible to build large packages because of the excessivetraveller speeds which would result. The present invention overcomesthis disadvantage since by varying the spindle speed the traveller speedcan be held substantially constant irrespective of package size and ringdiameter.

In its simplest form the invention may be applied to drawtwisters inwhich all the spindles are driven from a common source and the inputspeed of the material is constant. The building motion would preferablyprovide a parallel build, i.e., in which all the coils in each layer arewound on at the same diameter, so that it is only necessary to decreasethe spindle speed gradually as the winding-on diameter increases.

The invention may be applied to machines using random doffing, but inthis case the speed of each spindle would require to be independeiitlyvariable.

The invention may also be used for winding other than parallel-woundbobbins, as previously defined, but provision being made for varying thespindle speed according to the varying winding-on diameter in eachchase.

One form of drawtwister apparatus suitable for the performance of themethod which characterises the invention is illustrated diagrammaticallyby the accompanying drawing. In this apparatus the numeral 10 denotes adrawroil of the drawtwister, by which filaments are delivered to a.take-up package 11 which is mounted on a driven spindle 12, theoperation of winding the filament on the package being executed by atraveller 13 freely mounted on a ring 14. The building motion (notshown) by which the package is formed is of conventional parallel-buildtype in which each layer or chase is wound upon the package at a uniformdiameter.

The driving shaft 101 of the drawroll 10 is driven by i a main drivingmotor 15 through a belt or chain 16 which passes over a pulley orsprocket 17 geared to a wormwheel 102 on said shaft 101. The shaft 171extends longitudinally throughout the machine (or a section thereof) andis employed to drive each of the drawrolls 10 through individual gearingsimilar to that shown.

The belt or chain 16 also drives the input shaft 181 of a reduction gearbox 18, the output shaft 182 whereof drives the building motion cam 19through the worm 183 and worm wheel 191. The building motion may be ofany well-known type for producing parallel-wound packages. For example,the cam 19 may be used to operate the conventional building motion leverhaving a variable-length arm connection to the ring rail.

A second belt or chain drive 20 is taken from the driving motor 15 tothe input shaft 211 of a variable speed unit 21, the output shaft 212whereof drives the spindle driving shaft 22, and the drive is taken fromthis shaft to the spindle 12 in known manner, for instance, by a tapedrive 23.

The control shaft 213 for the variable speed unit 21 is connected by achain drive 24 to the shaft 182, and this drive may be so arranged thatthere is a gradual reduction in the output from the variable speed unitas the building motion lays successive layers on the package.

By these means, the spindle speed can be gradually reduced, so that thetraveller speed remains substantially constant throughout the build ofthe package, in spite of the increasing diameter at which the filamentsare wound on the package.

It is obvious that other alternative arrangements could be used to drivethe control shaft 213 of the variable speed unit; for instance, aservo-motor could be connected to said shaft and caused to rotateintermittently on a signal received from the building motion, or thering rail, after each traverse had been completed.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of winding textile yarn and filament material in aparallel build upon a rotary package carried by a driven spindle bymeans of a ring and traveller comprising supplying said material at aconstant rate to said ring and traveller and varying the rotationalspeed of said spindle inversely to the gradually increasing winding-ondiameter of said spindle thereby to maintain a substantially constantpredetermined traveller speed.

2. The method of claim 1, in which said material is wound in packageform and said spindle speed rotational speed is varied inverselycorrespondingly to the variations in the winding-on diameter of saidspindle.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said material drawn from a supply atconstant speed is Wound in package form with parallel build.

4. Apparatus for winding yarns or filaments in a parallel build on to apackage comprising a rotary spindle, yarn delivery means for deliveringyarn at a constant rate, a ring and traveller by which the yarn fromsaid delivery means is wound on to a package on said spindle, and meansto vary the spindle speed inversely as the winding-on diameter increasesto maintain said traveller speed constant at a predetermined speed.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said means to vary saidspindle speed comprises a variable speed unit having a variable speedoutput connected to drive said spindle, a constant speed input drivablyconnected to a constant speed drive and a control speed input drivablyconnected to a builder motion drive of said apparatus.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,785,527 3/1957 Lewellen et a1.5793 2,803,107 8/1957 Long 5795 2,929,193 3/1960 Cook 5793 X 3,137,9876/1964 Potts 5793 X 630,567 8/1899 Sawyer et a1. 5793 X 865,048 9/1907Klein 5798 1,965,163 7/1934 Truslow 5793 2,291,774 8/1942 Taylor et al.5794 X 2,585,823 2/1952 Norcross 5795 FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

D. WATKINS, Examiner.

4. APPARATUS FOR WINDING YARNS OR FILAMENTS IN A PARALLEL BUILD ON TO APACKAGE COMPRISING A ROTARY SPINDLE, YARN DELIVERY MEANS FOR DELIVERINGYARN AT A CONSTANT RATE, A RING AND TRAVELLER BY WHICH THE YARN FROMSAID DELIVERY MEANS IS WOUND ON TO A PACKAGE ON SAID SPINDLE, AND MEANSTO VARY THE SPINDLE SPEED INVERSELY AS THE WINDING-ON DIAMETER INCREASESTO MAINTAIN SAID TRAVELLER SPEED CONSTANT AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED.